Raul Lopez on LUAR, Family and Fashion Inspiration in the Changing Face of Brooklyn | i-D Hometown

i-D travels to South Williamsburg, the New York City neighbourhood where agenda-setting Dominican-American fashion designer Raul Lopez was born, raised and still lives today. Ahead of his SS24 show at New York Fashion Week, Raul offers a glimpse inside his Brooklyn studio where he and the team behind his semi-eponymous label LUAR are working on its upcoming collection, “Socorro”. During the visit, Raul discusses the foundations of his work, LUAR's community-driven mission, and his self-taught and unconventional journey to becoming one of New York's most esteemed designers via Home Depot and FashionTV. He also reflects on the impact of gentrification on his home neighbourhood of South Williamsburg and how its marginalised communities have persevered in the face of change. Taking i-D to the home of his grandmother, where we also meet his mother, Raul and his matriarchs discuss the strength of their familial bond and its role in steering his path to creative success. Raul reminisces about his youth and formative experiences as a queer Brown teenager discovering the LGBTQ+ scene that thrived around Manhattan’s Christopher Street in the early 2000s. 00:00 - 0:17 - Brooklyn Hospital 00:27 - Luar intro 01:18 - Growing up in Williamsburg 02:05 - Inspiration 02:36 - Standing out as a child 03:08 - Education in fashion 04:41 - Fashion TV/First show 05:18 - Cultures and gentrification of South Williamsburg 06:22 - Introduction to Fashion 06:55 - Luar DNA 07:20 - Grandmother’s